Aníbal Cavaco Silva, a former prime minister and president of Portugal, has advised prime ministers not to comment publicly on criticism made of them by the head of State, even if it is “unfair or wrong” – and to worry more about the president preventing the government from implementing its policies. In his latest book, “The Prime Minister and the Art of Governing” the former Social Democratic Party (PSD) prime minister (1985-1995) and president (2006-2016) warns that nobody benefits from a climate of conflict between the government and the office of the president – a climate constantly being suggested right now, between António Costa and Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
